Last Updated: Friday - 09/24/2010
May 17, 2010
WCR Letters to the Editor
Keep Palin supporters from expressing views
I did not read your article from the Catholic Register "Palin effects lead people away from Church - sociologist" WCR March 29 and so did perhaps many people.
By publishing Bernadette Rae's WCR letter April 19 it appears that you give credence to falsehood about Palin. Palin is all about Palin, herself, being in the limelight and making money. She didn't advocate for her disabled son until she was nominated as McCain's running mate.
She was pregnant with her firstborn when she got married and didn't teach her daughter about abstinence. Now she uses her grandson and daughter to talk about teen pregnancy. How convenient!
I have listened to Palin speeches (excerpts) on CNN comparing Palin's speech and Obama's statements exposing her lies about the president. She is anti-government, enticing hatred and violence among the uneducated crowd. Some of them talk about someone to kill the "black" president.
I don't believe South Park is an expression of freedom of speech and I don't think the WCR should have given a "voice" to Bernadette Rae although she assures us that Palin believes in Christ and evokes "the blessing of the Virgin Mary."
Vera Lemke
St. Albert
Should Catholics vote in the next election?
I have many questions, some pressing, others not so. One pressing question concerns how Christians and Catholics deal with the question of abortion, which undoubtedly will raise its head in the soon-to-occur federal election.
A number of noted Church and other authorities have said that a responsible Catholic can never vote for a candidate who supports pro-choice. Some bishops have noted that they would (or maybe could) excommunicate anyone who openly supports pro-choice.
Yet we know that almost all of our Canadian prime ministers from Trudeau to the present day - many of whom were Catholics - supported pro-choice legislation and required their party members to do the same. Thus we as electors can vote for no one.
This creates a further dilemma: Over the years, we have been told by Church authorities that it is our Christian responsibility to vote in an election. If there are no candidates for whom we can vote because of their pro-choice stand, then we must encourage Catholic electors not to vote.
So what should Catholic and other Christian voters do in the next election?
W.J. Colin
Edmonton
Editor's Note: While some bishops have announced that they would refuse Communion to certain elected officials who support legal abortion, we are aware of no bishop in Canada or the United States who has threatened to excommunicate such politicians.
The Church's Code of Canon Law states that anyone who procures an abortion is excommunicated automatically (canon 1398).
As well, votes on abortion in the House of Commons have been free votes with MPs free to vote for or against abortion legislation based on their consciences or the will of their constituents. Only the NDP, and only under its current leader, has required its MPs to support legislation allowing for legal abortion.
Letters to the Editor
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